Getting physical in Nelson
Nelson-Marlborough¹s ground breaking Nutritional and
Physical Activity
Programme is making significant
progress on helping targeted groups to be
more active and
to eat healthier food.
Programme Director Helen
Steenbergen says the five year District Health
Board
initiative is the only one of its kind in the South Island
and is
matched by only Counties Manukau
nationwide.
³It is no easy task to turn around the
obesity epidemic, Ms Steenbergen
said. ³We really are
breaking new ground on this and we are very pleased
with
the results so far. In the 18 months since the programme was
set up, we
have secured the support of councils across
the Top of the South, government
agencies, schools and
community groups.
The NPA Programme has delivered over
$200,000 to schools, early childhood
centres and most
recently to community groups. Larger grants of $5,000
set
up like mini-contracts have targeted groups such as
Maori communities and
vulnerable people and families
where the NPA strategic plan has identified
it can make
the most change. Ms Steenbergen said there are some
significant
projects ready to go this year that will
really make a different to
communities.
³The
Picton Youth Centre is running a programme of pro-social
activities
including basketball, touch hip-hop classes;
we have an ethnic soccer
festival coming up in
Marlborough to get locals and migrants active
and
mingling in a fun atmosphere and there are several
schools and early
childhood centres that have already
made a start on vegetable gardens and
orchards.
³We¹re working with schools, kindergartens and early
childhood centres to
find ways they bring these ideas
into the curriculum, she said. A garden
doesn¹t just
teach kids about planting and watering seeds - when they
are
involved in the whole process they are much more
likely to try and even like
vegetables they haven¹t
eaten before.
This year workshops are planned to let
schools and community groups know
more about the NPA and
the type of projects it is able to fund. More
information
on the NPA and it¹s Operational Plan for 2008 can be found
at
www.nutritionandphysicalactivity.org.nz
ends